The residents of Oceanside and Island Park gathered in their respective communities this year on Sept. 11 to honor those lost 17 years ago when a terrorist attack felled nearly 3,000 people in New York and Pennsylvania, including hundreds of police, medics and firefighters who had responded to the calamity.

In Oceanside, the Oceanside Interfaith Council organized a ceremony in the School No. 6 auditorium consisting of representatives from St. Anthony’s Church, the Oceanside Jewish Center, The First Presbyterian Church, the First United Methodist Church, the Oceanside Lutheran Church and Temple Avodah as well as the Oceanside boy and Girl Scouts.

In Island Park, village, religious and fire officials held vigil outside of its Sept. 11, 2001 memorial, which was completed in 2017. Despite a heavy drizzle of rain, dozens showed to pay their respects.